This disclosure relates to a work surface of an image forming apparatus.
Image forming apparatus such as photocopiers, printers, multi-functional devices, scanners, and other image capture devices and image producing devices have been widely used in commercial and industrial environments having limited floor space for installation. Higher demands to minimize a floor space occupied by an image forming apparatus created a need by image forming apparatus manufacturers to reduce a size of the apparatus's static footprint, i.e., the floor space that the apparatus occupies. The need for the reduction of the static footprint has resulted in the development of compact image forming apparatus that maximize a vertical spatial area occupied by the apparatus, such as vertical feed type image forming apparatus.
A vertical feed type image forming apparatus generally involves a layered structure including a sheet supply tray portion, an image forming portion, a scanner and a document handler/feeder that are sequentially arranged to feed/convey paper along a vertical sheet feed path extending from a bottom to a top of the apparatus. Such vertical feed type image forming apparatus reduced the static footprint.
There are various existing types of vertical feed type image forming apparatus. For example, FIG. 1 shows a conventional vertical feed type image forming apparatus. The vertical feed type image forming apparatus 100 includes sheet supply trays 110a-110c, a printing module 120 as the image forming portion, a scanner module 130 as a image capture device, a top planar work surface 140 and a document handler/feeder 150 that collectively produce a static footprint S100 of the printing module 120, as measured along a horizontal sheet feed direction indicated by arrow F100. The vertical feed type image forming apparatus 100 also includes additional features of an assembler/finisher module 200, attachments/wings 300, a display module 400, a paper input tray 500 and a paper output tray 600 that collectively produce a dynamic footprint D100 of the entire image forming apparatus 100, as measured along the direction of arrow F100. Since the work surface 140 is predominately occupied by the overlying document handler/feeder 150, the additional attachments/wings 300 may be provided to extend the work surface 140 to expand the limited available working areas, i.e., areas not occupied by the document handler/feeder 150. Therefore, the user of the image forming apparatus 100 may perform other operations such as placing documents, copies, clips, pens, etc. on the wings, even if a separate work table is not available.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,741,818 describes another conventional vertical feed type image forming apparatus. The vertical feed type image forming apparatus is a multifunctional printer including a print module housing a main print engine and a scanning module, a central work surface provided above the print module and sandwiched between top surfaces of additional accessories, and a document feeder/handler provided above the central work surface. Since the central work surface is predominately occupied by the overlying document feeder/handler, the top surfaces of the accessories constitute the few unoccupied working spaces available for users of the multifunctional printer.